Speaking for God in a Hopeless Time

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City is like you being outside in a park somewhere and you've lost hardly lost hope in and you don't know all is God in my life and where did he go and they took him away and I feel so hopeless to turn around this again coveralls.

The straw hat and rake weeping for Carter, from Times Square Church in New York City.

Welcome to a call to the nation. In today's message Carter will show us the method Jesus you show how we can effectively speak to people in times of hopelessness using famous people or superstars just ordinary people coming to someone in a hopeless situation. Let's join Carter now as he opens in John chapter 20 verse 13 then they said to her, woman, why are you weeping, she said to them because they've taken away my Lord and I do not know where they played. No one should said that she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. I did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, woman, why are you weeping who is seeking she's supposing him to be the gardener said to him, sir.

If you've carried him away, tell me where you've laid him and I will take him away. Jesus said to her. Mary, she turned and said to him, Ramon. I which is to say, teacher, there are so many times that this seems to be so much hopelessness in this world outside of these doors in the streets of the city in our society is it exist today and even inside the sanctuary. To some that are listening you're living in a place of shattered dreams once had great hopes in your heart you once had a song that had endless numbers of joyful versus in. Now you find this a deep sorrow. You can hardly sing your song anymore and despair comes knocking at your door every day trying to take away the little shred of hope that you still have for the future, and so many have given up. They had hopes for the future. They had dreams and aspirations and all of these things now seem to be gone irretrievably lost course the enemy is always there at the door trying to confirm what really isn't true. There's endless efforts going out even good efforts, producing some of the fruit for the kingdom of God.

The government discourage that your life is having so little impact in your family and your workplace in your community. Week after week you hear messages from pulpits like this a talk about the power of God given in the book of acts chapter 2 and when the Hollywood know how they prayed and you go out y'all encouraged and just it just seems to work for everybody else, but it doesn't work for you and give her been there is not the dirt you not working to do something, but it just doesn't seem to bear fruit in you is a God of my missing something. Have I have a lay hold of her own concept of where your power is and how how can we speak for you in such a hopeless time.

So many people angry. So many people confuse so many searching for a new society and they don't even know what it is they're looking for. How can we make a difference.

Is there a way to speak for God that will make people turn towards truth in such a darkened time as ours, and did Jesus leave us examples of what are speech life should look like. I think it's there and sometimes we just don't see it is too simple. We read over this is a living book this Bible we read overpasses as if the just historical facts and weight. We forget that this book speaks to us life everyday regeneration every season and are incredible gems of truth in the word of God, but sometimes we just miss not been looking and rereading some of these passages, especially that that portion of of the life of Jesus after he was raised from the dead, yet understand. I'm talking post cross resurrected Christ. A season short season where he walked among people before he ascended into heaven.

The whole time he was there he was encouraging people he was bringing them back to life. He was giving them clear direction and focus. Again, I believe it is left is a picture of what we should look like sewing or opening text. Think of the context of John chapter 21. This verse 13 to 16. It's a culture which was rolling the considered itself superior to the word of God had arisen. Do we not live in the day like that. I find it incredible. When I look at it you realize this is the risen Christ appeared anyway he wanted to he could have been hovering 15 feet above the earth in the chariot of fire. He could about angels with trumpets all around me could have been glowing like he was on the Mount of Transfiguration. He could've presented himself with irrefutable evidence that he was the risen son of God because of that, whatever he wanted to do.

It was raised from the dead, all power, all authority was his, but how did he choose to come to this woman in this hopeless situation. The Scripture says he.

She turned around and she assumed it was the gardener, he just appeared as an ordinary person when you and I think of what he could've done that is awesome. I believe he was showing us a pattern of what his charge was going to be like just ordinary people like you like me coming to somebody in a hopeless situation he was going to have the body on the art. The whole lesson he was trying to teach because realistically when you study it, he never appeared in recognizable form. You know that you understand that every time he appeared whether it's in the room or they were gathered. Whether it's on the road to Emmaus or at the seashore in John 21 work when every time he appeared. He appeared in a different form.

He wasn't recognizable as the physical Jesus. They had not yet he still was Jesus, but he was trying to sell us on the body on this earth.

A body of just ordinary non-distinguishable people that I'm going to live inside to speak to that body.

They're not going to be superstars then can have an entourage of the chart in the big band and trumpets announcing that this can be ordinary people that are walking in the power of God walking in the power that those who are given to their own lust for power will never see it the number understand they can't even see it in the Scripture them is, it appears as a gardener, don't you love that the risen Christ is like you being outside in the park somewhere and you've lost hardly lost hope in and you don't know where is God in my life and where did he go and they took him away and I feel so hopeless to turn around this again coveralls.

The straw hat and rake when you would be weeping for that's how it would've appeared to her she thought he was the gardener that had to be something about his appearance would indicate that Lisa's why are you weeping, she said if you've taken away, tell me where you put them in and I will take it and then Jesus said there he only said one word Mary Lee said it with such compassion. He said her name was such assurance is said her name with such confidence. He said her name with such an ability to sustain her. He said her name was only God can say it you know it's so important in this generation. When everybody is running around terrified or what will I do here and what will I do there and where is God in all of this and how will I get through tomorrow.

It's so important to just have that column assurance that God is in control of absolutely everything you know. I remember years ago I was pastoring in Canada and we we were by the church.

We were renovating.

It was a lot of work in the beginning. A lot of people came out this task themselves on this work and then over time it got to be less and less and less and less in everyday there's one or two less, and then finally adopted the midweek day when was only me and I'm in this church, I'm looking at the doorman I'm looking the walls and looking at the floors and looking at all the work that has to be done and suddenly the hopelessness of it all just begins overwhelmingly. I can't do this by myself and it was it was probably the first time since I'd left full-time employment gone into the ministry that the spare tried to get a hold of my heart and I remember I'm sure that there were prophetic voices out there.

I'm sure that there were tapes I could've listen to, but I don't remember anything but what I do remember is what brought me out of despair, a member looking up and there was it was towards evening and there was arts doors in this church and I saw the silhouette does the sun was going down to little ladies who didn't attend the church they had to be close to their 80s.

If they weren't in their 80s and they were very frail. They had to hold each other they came tottering in the church door and they walked over towards me and they said really soft voice. One lady said pastor. The neighborhood hasn't been the same since you, while you know you're doing a good job and don't give up and don't lose heart and was in the strength of those words that the despair that was knocking at my heart was taken away. You see, Jesus had come in the form of too little ladies. It came through the door. The point is that you and are not called to be superstars were not called to have all the answers. We have an answer within us are called to be just ordinary people with faith and compassion there's been more done in my life towards of assurance and tender hands that every profit that sever the kingdom of God would tell you right now is been more done to people just walked up and said is going be okay. You don't have to quote Scripture folks is going to be okay God is with you. God's going to keep your God is going to help you. In chapter 24, there were some men on the road to a place called Emmaus. Now when you look at the context of this story there were walking away from Jerusalem, not Jerusalem is the place of promise. It's the place of of God's intended coming kingdom on earth as it is, it's the place where his power was going to come. Everybody knew the significance of Jerusalem, but these two men are walking away from Jerusalem. The walking away because they lost heart. They lost hope the one they put their hope and had been crucified and taken away. And suddenly the stranger comes walking along beside them.

In Luke chapter 24 and they didn't recognize him again within the movie was.

I love this about Jesus. He walks with me the songs as he talks with his abandoned me when I'm confused. It is walk away. See, there has to be a willingness to walk with those are walking away from a former place of hope and not shout at them but walk with them with a tendency to shout it. People were walking away from a former faith in God. We quote Scripture at them as a running out the door but we know walk with them. The differences Jesus walk with them and when he walked with them. He let them speak and he said why are you so sad and they said are you just a stranger here. He could've been so offended that that remark, but he didn't see Denny respond to the said concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was past tense a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people and how the chief priests are rulers delivered and to be condemned to death, and crucified him. We were hoping that it was he was going to redeem Israel talking to the one who just been beaten to death nailed and crucified for them and they had already so quickly lost confidence in him. And besides this today is the third day since these things have happened, and he had told him plainly. I'm going to be raised from the dead on the third day they didn't believe it. And even though they said someone told us that he is risen. We don't we just don't we haven't seen it.

We don't believe it in the Scripture says, and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in the Scriptures the things concerning himself, his seat, we have to open the Scriptures and help people to understand that suffering and sorrow and confusion and darkness does not mean that we lost the battle.

We have to be able to explain to them, which he did.

He open the Scriptures and showed them through all the Old Testament up to course they didn't have the New Testament at that point, but he showed them that it was the plan of God to send his son and have his son die on the cross and have his son take the sins of the world upon himself to be placed in a grave and to be raised again from the dead on the third day so that forgiveness and life and victory could be brought back to those who would put their confidence in him and he had to explain but sometimes darkness has to come before the dawn.

Sometimes suffering has to come. You see, we've allowed the gospel to be preached in our nation. The tells people that all if you come to Jesus. This is going to be sunshine all the way is going be health and happiness in just don't be bigger and better and broader all the way.

But how do you explain when things start going the other way.

How do you explain one when people start walking away saying we had all this was the one that we can either shout at them or we can walk with them. Thank God that Jesus Christ is the one who doesn't leave us.

He doesn't forsake us in our struggles and trials in our moments of questioning and confusion.

Remember, it was King David himself, who was appointed to be king of Israel would one point in his journey said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken why are you so far from the words of my roaring numbers I'm calling out doing you're not answering.

It was a dark night of the soul for King David. But yet God's purposes were still faithful to him. He was still going to be king because God had decreed it to be so.

My brother, my sister no matter what you find yourself in today. No matter how confused you are toward Dr. Dave may be or how lost your hopes may seem, God promise to you is what your life is going to be. It's not going to be taken from you, we have to get to a place where we can open the Scriptures, but not to condemn those in a confused and folks listen to me they're going to be a lot of confused people in the days ahead will be a lot of people who were in charge and we thought this was the Christ. We thought this is what he was going to do.

We thought Victor was going to come this way. We anticipate that he was going to be crucified. The sun was going to be dark in the ark was going to shake the Pharisees were going to rejoice. The Roman soldiers were going to be cruel.

We didn't anticipate this, we thought it was going to be a kingdom that was going to come now were all going to sit on the right and the left were all reading and writing them immediately. We failed to understand. We fail to see that it was going to have to come a dark day. Between the day of his promise in the day when the promises fulfilled. It's a place where our willingness to stay with them mirrors that of Jesus who said he would never leave or forsake his own yes is going to be people coming to this church and come into your circle of influence that are going to be confused.

They attended places and they thought this is what God was in the only to find out the God they thought that forsaken them know God didn't forsake them was only the concept of God.

The present them with the real Christ has a body on the earth, the real Christ is people look like gardeners and travelers off, alleluia. What influence you but I just love it. I just love it and how gentle he was with these men when they invited him in. He stayed is the doors close the doors closed. I understand that but here's a case where I'm sure and know he had things to do, just like you and I do, but they they said please stay with us for a night if you will, and he stayed even though they were still confusing the Scripture doesn't say at this point what we know at this point they really didn't see him.

They really didn't believe yet the hearts really work alive guys weren't open, but they wanted to know more and so you have to be patient. People love embrace a certain view of God. They don't change that view overnight. But hardship is going to bring them to where you are. You understand what I'm saying. Hardship is going to bring them to where you are going to come on the going to come with their theologies to come with their past views of who God is and you're going to have to be gentle you got to be patient you going have to walk with them you're going to have to be committed to them and he sat down at the table with them and they celebrated within the purpose and provision of God. It's a place where they broke bread and began to understand the God will not abandon you in times of confusion. It will not walk away from you when you have questions and you don't have answers for, is not a fair weather friend the takes off when hard times come. Jesus walks with us in talks with us. He doesn't leave us both think God with all my heart to give God praise for the simplicity of who Christ is and lastly, in John chapter 21 his own disciples headed out to fish and I look at it as a type of evangelism we as a church age have tried everything that we know to do to win the lost of and what we build, bowling alley, swimming pools, surveys, Pentecostal churches are even having dances and winetasting parties now trying to get people to come in to the house of God would let them put their feet on the altar rail served lousy coffee brought in musicians of Artie been saved. In some cases anything to try to get people in the house of God and hasn't worked as it and if it has a just produced a bunch of people if you don't entertain them.

They don't stay the go cross the road to the next show in here are the disciples and the route knife. They fished all night in the caught nothing in Scripture says in John 20 141 morning had come, Jesus stood on the shore.

Yet the disciples did not know it was Jesus. Now it's important understand this, they still didn't know him physically because in verse 12 it says when he said come and eat none of the disciples dared ask him who are you, they inwardly knew it was the Lord but on the exterior. Still, he didn't appear in a form that they were familiar with, but he appeared to them as a servant. I love this somebody with compassion can demerit somebody willing to walk in the patient came to the event on the road to Emmaus. We know it was Jesus and then somebody appears as a servant is the risen Christ he could walk in the water up to the boat. So would you have to understand I am to understand but he gave us a part of what the church looks like. Here's people toiling all night. He could've done what Elijah did with the problems of bail and lock them negativism sleeping put the net down deeper but he didn't do any of that. I didn't lock their efforts. He didn't criticize him. He didn't ridicule them. He just simply made biscuits and fish under fire and asked him a question. He said that you caught anything to eat. Are you satisfied how are your labors, what are they producing and you know these men were becoming men of true because I don't know a single fisherman that tells the truth when you ask them at the caught anything. You caught anything they said no they yelled in from the boat and he said to them That on the Right Side of the Boat and You Will Find Some Know Jesus Never Did Anything Just for the Sake of Doing It. There Was Always a Divine Purpose. Everything You Said He Was Trying to Help Them Get Back to Where the Victory Is Romans 834 Says It Is Christ Who Died and Furthermore Is Also Risen Even Is at the Right Hand of God Cast It on the Right Hand of God Cast the Net on the Place of Work God's Power Is Preach the Cross of Jesus Christ Recent Victory of the Cross, Preach Resurrected Life in Jesus Christ Preach about Turning Away from the Old and Turning Towards the New.

To the Right Side of the Boat Didn't Backdoor the Power of God Is Jesus Route from the Dead on the Third Day He Ascended Later into Heaven, and He Sits at the Right Hand of God in All Power and All Victory Authority Victory That the Lively Loan for Everything Is in Jesus Christ.

It's Not a Methodology Everything We Look for.

It's Not in Singing the Right Songs Is Not Having the Fanciest Building of God Is Found in the Victory of Jesus Christ. The Power of God Is Found in What He Did for Us, Not What We Can Do for Him. God Is Finding His Promises Promises to Him, but His Promises to Us to the Lamb of God, We Need to Preach Again, the Contrast of Jesus Christ. When People Are Hopeless All around You. Tell Them Jesus Is Tell Them What Jesus Did Tell Them about the Victory over Sin and Death. Tell Them about the Kingdom of God to Them about the Power of God's Holy Spirit Told Them about the Newness of Life That God Promises to Those Who Trusted Him Jesus to Jesus to Tell Them about Jesus Is the Church Looks like Ordinary People, Ordinary People That Have Awarded Compassion Ordinary People Have Confidence in God Who Believe In Spite Of Our Storms and Are Dark Nights and Will Have Our Frustrations Are Unanswered Questions. People Just Have Come to the Places That I Don't Know All the Answers but I Know Who Holds the Answers and I Trust and I Trust Him with All My Heart. I Trust Him with My Life. I Trust Him with My Future. I Trust with My Family I Trust Him.I Trust the Son of God. I've Chosen My Heart to Trust Him and When I Meet Somebody Was in Tears Because They Lost Sight of Where God Is That God Give Me the Ability As an Ordinary Person Just Walking throughout My Ordinary Day to Just Speak to Them in a Way That Will Bring Confidence Back in the Hearts Again and Here's What the Lord Put on My Heart Is for People Can Say I'm Discouraged Myself but I Do Want to Speak for God, Lord, Would You Comfort Me. Would You Help Me so That I Too Might Become a Comfort and Help Other People You Comfort Me Today, What Would You Speak to My Frail Heart to Give Me the Courage to Walk with People Who Need Somebody to Walk with, Especially in the Hopeless Days in Which We You Been Listening to Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City. For More Information and Resources to Help You in Your Walk in Christ.

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